How can the Eagles win the Super Bowl? 5 things that have to happen for a parade down Broad Street

It is impossible to count the days since there was a Super Bowl parade down Broad Street because, well, it is never happened.

As any fan will tell you, however, that doesn't mean it can't happen this year.

The Eagles are a dark-horse favorite of many to make a run at the Lombardi Trophy this season, as they tout an explosive offense and a head coach in Chip Kelly that is already regarded as one of the best in the league.

Still, for any team to win it all, they need a certain amount of luck and certain things to happen.

Here are five things that must happen for the Eagles to win the Super Bowl this season.

1) LeSean McCoy stays healthyRunning back LeSean McCoy might not be the most valuable player on the Eagles -- that distinction belongs to center Jason Kelce -- but it is pretty close. As fancy as people like to make head coach Chip Kelly out to be, his offense is built around the same thing teams have been doing for decades -- running the ball.

The addition of running back Darren Sproles is nice, and third-stringer Chris Polk has potential when healthy, but the Eagles have no replacement for McCoy. If McCoy goes down, the entire offense goes with him.

If he doesn't?

If McCoy doesn't miss any time, the Eagles very well could have the best running team in the NFL next season. Being able to run the ball is a formula for winning in the NFL, whether it be in tough atmospheres like Seattle or New Orleans, or at home in the cold when passing the ball isn't working. If the Eagles can run the ball better than any team in the league, they will be able to go into any game expecting to win.

2) Nick Foles takes care of the ball Once quarterback Nick Foles took over for good last season, the Eagles went 7-1 in their final eight games, and barely lost in the playoffs to a veteran New Orleans Saints team. One of the biggest reasons the Eagles turned it around is Foles took care of the ball, as the team averaged just five turnovers in eight games..

Keeping that rate up will be hard for Foles and the Eagles, but it isn't impossible. Kelly's offense is built to take care of the ball, and if Foles doesn't get reckless, the turnovers should be minimal.

3) The defense improves in points-per-driveSkeptics of the Eagles' defense like to point to the amount of passing yards they gave up last season, but there is more than one way to judge a defense. One of the better ways is points-per-drive, as it simply shows how much your defense is giving up when they are on the field.

Last season, if you exclude the Eagles' beat down in Denver, defensive coordinator Billy Davis' unit gave up 1.61 ppd last season. If you times that by the 11.6 drives per game the Eagles faced on average, the unit gave up an average of 18.7 points per game in the other 15 games of the season.

If they can improve that just slightly -- and keep forcing turnovers -- the Eagles defense will be one of the best units in the league. Combine that with Kelly's offense, and it will be hard for any team to beat the Eagles.

4) Malcolm Jenkins is the answer at safetyOne way the Eagles' defense can improve is by getting what they paid for out of veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins. Without a doubt the weakest point of the defense last season was safety Patrick Chung, who was single handedly responsible for a number of big touchdowns.

If Jenkins can step in and just be decent, he will be an upgrade. If he can be a better tackler than Chung was, the Eagles' defense will be improved. If he can be the playmaking safety he was early in his career, he will be a difference maker on a unit that badly needs one.

5) The starters on the offensive line plays every single gameTaking care of the ball, the touchdowns, the big plays -- all of that comes second to the real reason the Eagles' were successful last season, and that reason is that the offensive line started the same five players every single game.

The question is, can that happen again?

The unit is already missing starting tackle Lane Johnson to a suspension, but so far, no starter has been lost to injury. It won't take much for the line to unravel, as an injury to Jason Kelce, Evan Mathis or Jason Peters will be a major, major blow to the team's chances this season.

The offensive line staying healthy and playing well keeps everything the Eagles do together. It allows them to run the ball. It keeps the pocket clean for Foles. It gives time for Kelly's plays to develop.

At the end of the day, it's simple. If the offensive line stays healthy, the Eagles can -- and very well could -- win the Super Bowl.